!#8# Fight Rose Pests With Beneficial Insects

!±8± Fight Rose Pests With Beneficial Insects

Insects are attracted to flowers, especially roses. However, while many types of insects are deadly to roses, there are quite a few that can prove quite beneficial to your garden. Most of these insects will devour harmful insects, attracting them to your garden is always a good idea, so that you can do your own pest control without the hazards of pesticides.

Lady Bugs
Lady bug beetles, known for their distinctive crimson and black-spotted carapaces, have a fifty-fifty shot at helping your garden. Lady bugs can ravage the plants in your garden, but, they have an equal chance of ravaging the harmful insect population. If your garden has ladybugs and aphids, and they're killing the aphids or other harmful insects, be aware that lady bugs are extremely sensitive to pesticides, so you might want to be careful about spraying.

Green Lacewing
Common to much of North America, the green lacewing is pale green, with long antenna and bright golden eyes. They have large, transparent green wings and fragile looking bodies. Lacewings feed on nectar and pollen, but, like Lady Bugs, their larvae are voracious predators, and will eat over six hundred aphids over the course of their maturation cycle. They feed on aphids, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies and other assorted rose-bud predators.

Praying Mantis
The Praying Mantis is the gardener's best friend and one of the most easily recognizable insects, with its jointed forelimbs and stick-like body. They are the apex predator of the insect kingdom, and will eat anything that walks, crawls or flies among your plants. And, luckily, there will always be enough insects in your garden to keep them well-fed and on the alert.

Bees and Wasps
Bees and Wasps perform a dual function in gardens, acting both as pollinators and predators. They help your roses bloom, and will prey on the insects that seek to eat them. Wasps especially can wreak havoc on your garden's aphid population, as they use aphids and other insects as fodder for their larvae. Bees aren't as predatory as wasps, but they are good for your blooms, and are able to quickly cross-pollinate your garden, making it far healthier than before.

Earthworm
Lastly, the humble earthworm which is not an insect at all but is a helpful creature. The benefits of earthworms cannot be ignored and it is safe to say that the earthworm is the single most beneficial creature that you can have in your garden.. They keep the soil of your garden aerated and carry nutrients throughout, from one end of your garden to the next. They improve moisture retention and prevent matted roots through their constant tilling of the soil. Their waste is a powerful form of fertilizer and structural soil component. Worms also help break down waste matter, especially plant debris. The more worms you have in your soil, the healthier your garden. The healthier your roses the more they resist their pests and diseases.

While insects can, in general, be something of a plague upon your rose garden, there are some varieties that it might be wise for you to cultivate. Earthworms especially, but also Lady Bugs, Wasps and Praying Mantis. Each of these creatures can help improve your garden by leaps and bounds, wiping out predatory insects and helping promote the healthy growth of your rose plants.